When Tsuzuki Tries to Learn to Cook
by westwindwaker
Summary: Tsuzuki, being on vacation, hears about how great a cook Pinoko is. Little does he know that he will involve Black Jack and Pinoko in a dark plot by demons who are after his life when he goes to learn from her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

Please forgive me if I get anything wrong. I have not read them both from start to finish.

This is my first fanfiction, so I hope it's not too bad.

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and a little violence later on.**

Well, enjoy!

Prologue

"Ok, Tsuzuki, your vacation is in a few days," Tatsumi explained, "Please don't get into that much trouble while you're away."

"Hai, Tatsumi," Tsuzuki replied exuberantly.

"Come back when you're ready to leave, I'll have your spending money ready for you then." Tatsumi replied.

"_This vacation will be great!"_ Tsuzuki thought.

Ch. 1

Tsuzuki had just started his vacation and was at his favorite cake shop on Earth. While he munched excitedly on his yummy cake, he listened into the nearby conversations to fill the silence. It was while he was doing thus that he overheard the following conversation between a husband and wife.

"Honey, I'm looking for a doctor to treat my niece. Didn't you mention to me that your cousin was recently treated by a very skilled one?"

"Hai, I did. In case you were wondering, his name is Black Jack. He charges a very high price, but hey, he was able to cure her from her heart disease unlike other doctors. She personally thought that her stay there was great and has the greatest respect for him. She even goes so far as to keep praising him to everyone she meets."

"Oh? And what would some of those praises be if I might ask?"

"First of all, she insists that he is a very kind and gentle soul. Second, she says she has every certainty that there is not a better doctor out there. Third and final she said that his little assistant Pinoko loves to cook, not to mention is good at it, and is very playful."

"Is that so? Then maybe I should go take my niece there to see him. He might just be able to cure her. Where does he live?

"He lives around here on the cape. If you just go to the top of the cliff you should come to his house. There's a road that leads up there, don't worry, you won't have to walk."

"Arigatou, honey."

This whole conversation caught the purple-eyed man's attention. He had become very interested in it when he learned that the doctor's assistant knew how to cook and loved to.

"_I have been looking for someone to teach me how to cook better recently. After all, Tatsumi very well wouldn't. It's not that he plain out refused, it's just that he decided that I'd have to pay around __10,000 yen to learn one dish! Maybe if I went up there and asked her to teach me to cook, she'd accept and take me as a sort of apprentice for a short time!" _Tsuzuki thought excitedly.

And so, after he finished his cake, the overly excited Tsuzuki set out to learn more about the man (and his assistant) and later went to his house to talk to him.

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and prologue. I'll try to update regularly so please check in every so often if you enjoyed the story. Black Jack will appear in the next chapter, enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko **

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and a little violence later on.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.2

_Ding Dong_

Black Jack looked up from his work upon hearing the doorbell ring.

"_Pinoko is out getting groceries. I suppose I'll have to answer it." _Black Jack thought quickly as he got up to see who it was. "Coming!" he yelled.

When he opened the door, he was face to face with a purple-eyed man. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Are you Dr. Black Jack? I was wondering if your assistant would be so kind as to teach me how to cook." the man begged.

Black Jack was perplexed. He definitely didn't get many people asking to learn how to cook from Pinoko. Correction, he didn't get _any _people asking to learn from Pinoko. "She's not here right now. Why don't you come in and I'll make us some tea."

"Sure thing," the man said as he stepped inside. "Oh, my name is Tsuzuki, Asato by the way."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Tsuzuki." Black Jack said.

"You can just call me Tsuzuki." Tsuzuki admonished.

"So, why do you want to learn to cook from Pinoko anyways?" Black Jack asked curiously as he set the water to boil then went back to sit down.

By now Tsuzuki was quietly fidgeting with his coat cuff. "Well, let's just say that my cooking is quite inedible to say the least about it."

"Ok, I get it." Black Jack replied as he chuckled softly. "Ah, the kettle is finally boiling. I'll be right back with our tea."

Black Jack then proceeded to get up and pour the hot water into two cups and add tea bags. He then handed one cup to Tsuzuki and sat back down.

"Now then, why don't you explain to me why you don't go to a professional to learn how to cook." Black Jack stated.

Tsuzuki quickly replied, "I don't get paid that much for my job. And what I do get paid goes to the expenses I occur while doing my job. Well, either that or I use it to buy a few sweets." Tsuzuki grinned quickly.

"I see. Well, you'll have to ask Pinoko if she'll teach you. If she agrees, I'll let you stay in our guest room. Believe it or not, you'd actually be doing me a favor. She won't be as bored if she's able to teach you and that will keep her out of my hair while I work." Black Jack said quite seriously.

The door managed to open a few seconds later, Pinoko almost flying through in her rush to greet the doctor. "I'm back, Chenchei!" she called out as she took a tumble, sending groceries everywhere.

Black Jack and Tsuzuki got up to help her grab the groceries off the floor. While they did so, she asked, "Who is this Chenchei, a patient?"

"No he's not." He responded, "He actually wanted to ask a favor of you, Pinoko."

Tsuzuki then got down on his knees and asked her politely, "Pinoko, will you teach me how to cook?"

"Chenchei, may I?" Pinoko quickly asked.

"Of course you can." He responded gently.

Pinoko wasted no time in declaring, "The answer is yes. By the way, what's your name?"

"Tsuzuki, Asato." replied Tsuzuki.

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu. However, I do own the husband, wife, and niece who have appeared in this story.**

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and a little violence later on.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.3

It was time for Tsuzuki's first lesson in cooking. Well, at least that was what Pinoko had told him. His first lesson was watching Pinoko prepare breakfast. Yea, that's right, _watching_. Apparently the doctor had told her that his cooking was inedible. So, to get a feel for edible cooking, she had told him, you should watch me prepare breakfast. Then later, I'll see what you can do.

Pinoko was just finishing breakfast now and called for the doctor. "Chenchei, breakfast!"

"Hai, hai," was the quick reply given as he walked in.

As Tsuzuki and Black Jack exchanged pleasantries, Tsuzuki remembered what he first thought of the man. _"At first I wasn't sure what to make of him. After all, he does have black and white hair and that big scar running across his face. However, after I took a closer look at him, I saw that there was a sense of sadness and pain lingering in his brown eyes. After I saw that, I realized that he couldn't be all that bad. And my suspicions were confirmed once I talked to him. He really does seem like a nice person-"_

Tsuzuki's reverie was cut short by Pinoko announcing, "Ok, I'm done. It's time to eat, everyone!" as she placed a platter of pancakes on the table. Their drinks were already on the table (courtesy of Black Jack who asked what everyone wanted to drink when he came in).

Tsuzuki, Black Jack, and Pinoko quickly dug into the appetizing pancakes. Well, actually, Tsuzuki didn't right away. He managed to add what seemed like a cup of maple syrup (at least to Black Jack and Pinoko) to the pancakes before eating.

"Do you always use that much syrup when eating pancakes?" Pinoko asked as she stared, mouth wide open.

"Pinoko, close your mouth. A bug might fly in while you're not looking." Black Jack chided her gently.

Pinoko swiftly did as she was told.

Even though he said that, _both_ Pinoko _and_ Black Jack (who wasn't quite as interested in the answer) leaned forward to hear what Tsuzuki had to say. Which was, "Hai," and his reason, "Sweets are my favorite thing to eat. In fact, I usually would use _more_ maple syrup. Why I didn't this time, is that the pancakes are sweeter than I am used to." Tsuzuki smiled slightly as he explained.

At this remark both looked positively shocked (a thing which is almost impossible for Black Jack and a lot easier for Pinoko) and Pinoko was so startled that she quietly said, "Acchonburike!" (1)

When he saw their looks, Tsuzuki couldn't resist laughing quietly.

At that moment the doorbell rang, allowing Black Jack to gracefully recover. Pinoko offered to get it, however, Black Jack ended up getting it. After all, he said, he was done eating, unlike a certain person, and would be glad to get it.

About thirty seconds after Black Jack left the room, Tsuzuki heard him asking, "Can I help you with something?"

The short, quick reply is as follows, "Hai, can you treat my niece?"

Tsuzuki was quite shocked on hearing the man's voice that he clearly recognized from the cake shop the other day. After all, he hadn't really expected the man to take his wife's advice.

Just as he was finishing the thought, the doctor replied, "It depends on what she has."

"She was hit by a car and now is in a coma." The man replied.

Black Jack's shocking answer was, "I'll treat her for ¥40,000,000."

"_That's a bit much to charge, isn't it? And can you even treat people in comas in the first place?" _ Tsuzuki thought quite shocked.

"Well my wife did warn me that you charge a lot. And she did say you were the best surgeon in the world. I'll have to accept that." The man responded after a while.

The doctor quickly asked, "Is it possible for you to arrange that she is transferred here?"

And the man said but one thing, "Hai."

(1) For those of you who don't know what Black Jack is, Pinoko often says acchonburike when she is shocked.

**Well, I hope you have enjoyed the story so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu. However, I do own the husband, wife, and niece who have appeared in this story.**

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and a little violence later on.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.4

Dr. Black Jack stepped out of his operating room, carrying his patient, and was followed by a weary Pinoko.

The man who had requested treatment for his niece rose to greet them, and one very talkative Tsuzuki shut up when they came out.

"How is she sensei? Will she make a full recovery?" asked the man worriedly.

"Your niece is doing just fine, sir. Hai, I do believe she'll fully recover." Black Jack replied.

The patient's uncle asked, "When should I pay you?"

"You should send the money to my bank account once she's fully recovered. Here, you should take her to the hospital to help in her recovery. She should wake up in a day or so." Black Jack said as he handed her to him.

"Arigatou, sir." The man called out after him when he left.

"No problem." Black Jack called back.

"Ah, Tsuzuki, were you out here the whole time talking to him?" the doctor asked curiously.

Tsuzuki responded while smiling, "Hai, it seemed he was a bit worried about her so I talked to him to cheer him up and take his mind off her for a few minutes."

Black Jack smiled when he heard the concern in his voice for the man. _"It seems like he cares about every single person he meets. What a nice person."_

A few minutes after the man left had them all still standing there. To break up the silence, Pinoko told Tsuzuki in a rather excited voice, "Let's go back to the kitchen. I'll see what you can do now. See you later Chenchei." This last part was addressed to Black Jack.

As Pinoko and Tsuzuki went to the kitchen to cook, Black Jack went elsewhere in the house; elsewhere being his office.

Once the doctor made it to his office, he opened the door and went inside. And once inside he sat down and started to work.

"_Ok, let's see, what do I have to do? Tezuka wanted me to diagnose a patient for him. He had said that they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him at his hospital. However, the man in question was coughing up blood."_ Black Jack thought as he reached for the x-rays Tezuka had sent with a short note explaining what he wanted him to do earlier that day.

Just as Black Jack was writing down the diagnosis (he was able to diagnose the patient like Tezuka expected), there was a knock on his door. "Come in." he said shortly.

The door swung open, revealing a very sick looking Pinoko, who was followed by a very worried (and _guilty _looking?) Tsuzuki. With the opening of the door, a voice faintly said, "I don't feel too well, Chenchei."

Upon hearing Pinoko, Black Jack looked up quickly and then commenced to finish writing very swiftly. When he was done he asked Tsuzuki, "What happened to her?"

Pinoko answered for him, "We think it's a case of food poisoning from the food he made. You see, Chenchei, I had him make food so I could try it. It didn't taste that good (Pinoko shudders at the thought of how it tasted) but I decided that I had to eat it all since he went to all the trouble to make it."

"I warned you," Was all Tsuzuki had to say to her. Black Jack picked up on the tone of regret in his voice though.

"_His food really is inedible! And here I thought it was only a case of over exaggeration."_ The doctor thought and shook his head.

"Well," Black Jack said, "Let's get you to bed." And with that he picked the little girl up and brought her to her bed and tucked her in. "Now, if you need anything, just ask, ok?" he said as he left the room.

"Hai, Chenchei." Pinoko responded.

"Now, then, Tsuzuki!" the doctor said as he walked over to the older man. (1)

Tsuzuki looked up as his name was called. "Hai?"

"As a doctor, I can't let things stand as they are. Otherwise there will be a high rise in the people with food poisoning out there. You can't just go on making people sick now, can you?" Black Jack stated.

"Hai, that's why I wanted a teacher, but now my teacher is sick, all because of me." Tsuzuki responded, looking slightly down.

"_Oh, this can't be good. He's looking sad now. Well maybe I can fix that, after all, I do know how to cook myself._ (2)_ Even though I haven't practiced for a while, I still think I could try to give him a lesson." _ Black Jack thought quickly.

"Hey, Tsuzuki, would you like to learn a dish from me? You can pick, however, the dish can't be too hard." The doctor said.

Tsuzuki looked happier at that. "Sure thing, but why would you teach me?" Tsuzuki wondered.

"Well, I said that I can't leave things the way they are now, didn't I? That means that I have to teach you to cook."

"_I wasn't going to say that at first, but after that sad look came into his purple eyes (which made him look like a lost puppy) I didn't want to say that he should stop cooking. Good thing I was able to come up with an alternative." _ Black Jack thought.

Tsuzuki fervently said over and over again, "Arigatou, arigatou, arigatou, arigatou …" (3) and he sincerely meant it, really.

"Ok, that's enough. Stop saying arigatou already." Black Jack complained (Black Jack was overwhelmed by the sheer number of arigatous). "Any ways, tell me tomorrow evening what you want to learn. It's getting late, I'm going to bed." The doctor concluded.

And with that, they said goodnight and went to their respective beds.

(1) Black Jack doesn't actually know it, but Tsuzuki is indeed older than him. Of course Black Jack probably thinks he's younger than him, after all, I think Tsuzuki only appears 26. I was referring to Tsuzuki as being the older man.

(2) I'm not sure if Black Jack can actually cook. However, I'm positive that he can and I have a really good idea how.

(3) Tsuzuki actually manages to say arigatou about 10 times I think. I only showed less than half because I didn't want to write it 10 times and make people read arigatou 10 times in a row.

**Well, I hope you enjoyed my chapter :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu. However, I do own the husband, wife, and niece who have appeared in this story.**

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and there is violence in this chapter.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.5

It was morning. It was the morning after Pinoko got food poisoning and Black Jack was getting ready to leave the house. He had already collected his doctor bag and his diagnosis. (1)

Right before he was about to go, a sudden thought struck him, _"Pinoko is still sick. Maybe I should leave a note explaining to her and Tsuzuki where I am going and ask him to take care of her."_

And so he rushed back into the house, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and started scribbling madly.

The finished note said the following and was addressed to Pinoko and Tsuzuki. _Once you wake up you might wonder where I am. Don't worry, I am only going to visit the hospital to check on a patient and drop off a diagnosis Tezuka asked me about. Tsuzuki, please take care of Pinoko for me until I get back. I should return by evening – Black Jack._

The doctor then took the finished note and put it on the kitchen table in plain sight. _"There, they shouldn't miss that"_ he thought as he walked away, a smile on his face.

Black Jack then got in his car and drove to the hospital. Once he was there he took his diagnosis and bag out and went in. And once inside he asked the nurse at the front counter if he could talk to Dr. Tezuka.

The nurse let him pass; after all, she did recognize him as both a friend of Tezuka and as the infamous genius doctor Black Jack.

Black Jack was able to locate Tezuka shortly after being allowed in. To get his long time friend's attention, he said, "Tezuka, I have that diagnosis you wanted."

"Arigatou, Black Jack." Tezuka said before looking at the diagnosis.

"Well, I'm off to check on a patient of mine who was transferred here yesterday. By any chance do you know what room she's in?" Black Jack asked Tezuka.

Tezuka looked up. "Are you talking about that coma patient that came in yesterday? They did say that you were the one who operated on her. She's in room 33."

Black Jack called out as he left the room, "Arigatou, Tezuka."

He then went off to find his patient. _"She's in room 33. Okay, let's see. 10, 20, 25... 33." _Black Jack thought as he went past the doors of the patients' rooms.

Black Jack then went in room 33. And there inside lay his patient, awake, talking to her aunt and uncle. Upon hearing his footsteps, everyone turned around to see who it was.

"Ah, Dr. Black Jack. Are you here to check up on my niece? She's doing fine thanks to you." The man said and then he turned to his niece and explained, "This is the man who operated on you yesterday."

The young girl looked up at Black Jack and said, "Arigatou, sensei."

"It was no problem; anyways you should thank your uncle for paying for the operation." He said as he walked over to her bedside. "Now, I have to give you a medical check up to see how you're doing."

"Hai, Sensei."

The doctor then proceeded to do as he said. He started with taking the girl's blood pressure and ended with checking her temperature. When he was finished, he gave her a reassuring smile and told her, "You're recovering just fine. You should be able to leave the hospital in a few days."

He then proceeded to write her medical chart up and also wrote instructions for the nurses to follow to help in her recovery.

When his work was done, Black Jack left the hospital and went back to his car.

"_It's only around 1:00 right now. They don't expect me back for another few hours. I wonder if I should get them something."_ Black Jack wondered as he got in his car.

And so Black Jack drove to the best cake shop he knew. After all, it was the only place where he could think about finding something for both Pinoko and Tsuzuki (Black Jack doesn't know what Tsuzuki likes except for sweets, Pinoko also likes sweets).

Once he went inside he ordered something for himself (Black Jack decided he may as well get something as well). What he ordered was a slice of strawberry cake.

After he was finished with his food, he went ahead and got something for both Pinoko and Tsuzuki and left. A slightly smaller slice of strawberry cake was for Pinoko and a humungous slice of chocolate cake was for Tsuzuki. (2)

Black Jack arrived back home at around 3:00. He grabbed the cake and his bag and went inside.

Inside, Tsuzuki and Pinoko were waiting for him while playing poker. (3) When he stepped inside, they finished their game and came over to greet him.

"Ah, you're finally back. Hmmm… what's that in your hands? Is that chocolate and strawberry cake?" Tsuzuki predicted.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Black Jack responded (slightly surprised) while setting down his bag and taking the cake to the table.

"Oh, they always put the different kinds of cake in different boxes. I've gone there often enough to know." Tsuzuki replied, a grin splitting his face in two. "So, what's the occasion?"

"The chocolate cake is to thank you for looking after Pinoko, it's yours. The strawberry cake is for Pinoko, she can eat it once she's well." Black Jack stated.

"I'm well now, Chenchei! Also, don't you have any cake for yourself?" Pinoko asked him.

"I had some cake at the shop. Well, dig in you two." Black Jack replied as he sat down to watch them.

A few minutes later, Tsuzuki was almost finished (this fact amazed Pinoko and Black Jack; after all, who could eat that fast?) and Pinoko was only half done. At this time the door bell rang.

Black Jack told them that he'd get it. However, once he opened the door, he saw no one there. He did feel a flurry of air pass him though. And shortly after, he heard Pinoko scream in fright.

Black Jack rushed to the kitchen, a scalpel in hand (he was able to quickly get one from his cape).

The scene he saw once he got there is as follows. Pinoko was backed into a corner, unharmed, and shaking in fright. Tsuzuki however, was down, a thing (that looked almost like a human) clawing at his throat. It was a miracle that he wasn't dead yet. (4)

"_If I don't do something, Tsuzuki will die!" _the doctor thought.

And so thinking that, Black Jack aimed at the thing, not to kill, only to inflict a fatal wound (as a doctor, Black Jack can't just kill). He aimed at the thing's neck and the scalpel landed right where he wanted it to.

The thing, however, was only distracted; after all, human weapons can't hurt it. The thing was also very angry at the human who had dared to attack it. And so the thing turned around and attacked Black Jack and did a number on his leg. The human safely disabled, the thing turned back to Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki however, was ready. With a summoning fuda in hand, he called out, "Byakko" and then Byakko came to help his master.

The thing was then chased out by Byakko. The white tiger shikigami then asked his master, "Are you ok Tsuzuki?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, you can leave now. Arigatou, Byakko." Tsuzuki replied.

With that, Byakko left, leaving them once again alone.

Now then, back to Black Jack. Black Jack's eyes had widened quite a bit at this exchange, so that his eyes were literally as big as saucers (Pinoko's eyes were also that big).

Tsuzuki now turned to Black Jack to check on him. "You're hurt." He told him, "You should probably get cleaned up, I'll explain later."

"_He's right, I'm badly hurt. I wouldn't think this wound would hurt this much just by looking at it though." _Black Jack thought, shocked. He then called out, "Pinoko, would you be so kind as to prepare for an operation, and Tsuzuki, will you please carry me to my operating room?"

They did as they were asked, and in no time at all Black Jack was ready to operate on himself. He was using a mirror so he could see the damaged part of his leg.

The first thing the doctor did was ask Pinoko to disinfect the wound and to apply local anesthesia to his leg. This she did quickly. Then he started to sew up his leg.

"_This is pretty bad. The muscles and nerves are torn and one of the veins is ripped open. This is a hard surgery for most doctors. Not to mention that I'm operating on myself and am in all this pain." _Black Jack thought as he worked.

Once he was done, he bandaged his leg and thought to himself, _"I'm about to faint, it's a good thing I was able to finish the operation."_

And faint he did, right after he finished bandaging his leg.

(1) I am talking about the diagnosis mentioned in the last chapter.

(2) After seeing Tsuzuki use all that maple syrup in chapter 3, he decided to get the most sugary sweet cake there. The slice is one third of a chocolate cake.

(3) In case you were wondering, yes, Pinoko does know how to play poker. She has played it with Black Jack before.

(4)This is a miracle in Black Jack's opinion. In Tsuzuki's opinion, it's just fact. Black Jack doesn't know about Tsuzuki being a Shinigami yet. Also, the thing that attacked Tsuzuki was a demon (Black Jack didn't know that and so called it a thing in his head, hence the description as it is in Black Jack's pov for this chapter).

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Well, I'll try to update soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.6

Tsuzuki was surprised. He hadn't expected the demons to come here to attack.

Speaking of surprises, he definitely hadn't expected Black Jack would be able to operate on himself so well. _"With a wound like that, with the possibility of poison, and operating on himself, how did he do so well? Even Watari wouldn't be able to treat something like that normally." _ Tsuzuki thought.

Right now, Black Jack was bandaging his leg. And while he did that, Tsuzuki was coming up with a plan.

"_I'll probably have to bring him back to Meifu with me. And I think Pinoko will have to come too. There's the possibility the demon might have poisoned him. And he definitely did get the demon angry at him, so once the demon isn't scared of Byakko anymore, it might come back to kill him-" _

Tsuzuki's reverie was cut short as he heard Pinoko ask worriedly, "Chenchei, what's wrong?"

Tsuzuki rushed back into the operating room, just in time to see the doctor faint and fall off the operating table. Luckily, Tsuzuki was able to catch him before he hit the ground.

The purple eyed man quickly checked Black Jack's pulse. It was abnormal, one of the signs of the demon's poison. He quietly announced to Pinoko, "It seems as if he was poisoned by the demon. It's a miracle that he was able to retain consciousness long enough to operate. We need to take him to get treated. Luckily I know of a place that has the antidote. You'll have to stay there a few days just to be safe; after all, the demon might come back. Grab all the stuff you think you and Black Jack will need. Pack as if you're going on a trip for a few days and then follow me."

"Hai, Tsuzuki." Pinoko quickly responded and rushed around the house looking for the pre packed bags that they always kept ready (Pinoko knew that there wasn't a minute to waste).

Pinoko shortly returned with two bags full of clothing (one for her and one for Black Jack) and Black Jack's doctor bag.

"Well, that was certainly fast. How did you pack so quickly?" Tsuzuki asked, astonished.

"I didn't, they were already packed. All I had to do was find where they were." Pinoko replied smugly.

"Well, anyways, hold onto my arm. I'm going to teleport us to Meifu's hospital room." Tsuzuki said as he hefted up Black Jack.

Pinoko rearranged the baggage so she could carry it in one arm and then grabbed on. Once Pinoko was done, Tsuzuki teleported them to Meifu. And once they were safely landed in Meifu, Pinoko promptly fell over, losing all her baggage in the process and startling Watari who was in the room.

Then the very startled Watari said, "Hey Tsuzuki, who is this little girl?" And on further inspection Watari noticed that someone was in his arms and asked, "Is that a patient for me to treat? Hey wait, someone has already treated him." Watari said that last part after noticing the bandage on his leg.

To answer Watari's questions Tsuzuki responded, "The little girl is Pinoko, and yes, that is a patient for you to treat. I don't need you to treat the wound on his leg though, that's already taken care of. He also managed to get poisoned by a demon; that's what I'd like you to treat."

Watari sighed and responded, "Hai, hai, I'll see what I can do. I am really curious though, who treated his wound?"

Pinoko, having recovered, answered, "Chenchei operated on himself." And then on a higher note told them, "Also, who're you calling a little girl! I'm 20 years old!" (1) At their doubtful looks she added, "Really, it's the truth, ask Chenchei once he wakes up."

At around this time, others, hearing the commotion, began to wander in. Among them were Tatsumi, Hisoka, Terazuma, and Wakaba. All of them were shocked when they found Tsuzuki with two strangers in the room. One an unconscious man and the other was a little girl who had just claimed to be 20.

Tatsumi quickly asked, "Tsuzuki, you're back early, what happened? And who are those two?"

Tsuzuki replied while handing Black Jack to Watari, "It's a long story. I'll explain once he is treated."

Watari, curious as everyone else as to what had happened, quickly administered the antidote to Black Jack and put him in bed.

Once Black Jack was in bed, Tatsumi asked, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself Tsuzuki?"

"It's my fault. I was staying at his house while learning to cook from Pinoko (when he said this he pointed to the little girl sitting worriedly next to the man) and a demon attacked me while I was there. Once he saw the demon on me, he threw a scalpel at it. Unfortunately for him, normal weapons don't hurt demons, and so the demon attacked him and then turned back to me. By that time I had managed to summon Byakko and the demon was chased out." Tsuzuki admitted.

"Also, just out of curiosity, who is he? I mean there can't be that many people out there with black and white hair; a scar across their face; and two different colored skins." Tatsumi asked while he walked over to Tsuzuki.

Watari replied, "I think I can answer that one. Given your description and that he treated the wound on his leg perfectly; he sounds just like a doctor one of my friends described to me."

Hisoka looked up at that. "A doctor?" he asked, "What's he like?"

"Well, according to my friend Tezuka (2), Black Jack is a genius surgeon who is able to treat almost anything, however, he charges a lot for his surgeries usually. I won't mention how much he charges, I believe Tatsumi will very much faint if I do. Tezuka also told me that Black Jack happens to be unlicensed. I don't know about his personality, you'll have to ask Tsuzuki and Pinoko over there." Watari responded.

When Watari had mentioned that Black Jack was _unlicensed_, most of the people standing in the room managed to fall flat on their faces. And by that I mean everyone except Watari (and Pinoko) who just chuckled when he saw what happened.

"Now then, what is his personality like?" Hisoka asked Tsuzuki after recovering.

"Despite what Watari said, he is actually a very kind person. He just doesn't always show it." Tsuzuki replied.

"Yep, that's totally true." Pinoko seconded, startling most of the adults in the room who had forgotten her presence.

"Well, then. It seems like we'll have guests for a while everyone. Please treat them with respect. I'm going to tell Chief Konoe about our guests now." Tatsumi called out behind him on his way to the Chief's office.

Everyone dispersed except for Tsuzuki, Watari, Pinoko, and Black Jack. The latest obviously not being able to leave the room and Pinoko was determined to stay by his side. And Tsuzuki was relating all that had happened to a quite fascinated Watari.

(1) For those of you wondering, it's true, Pinoko is really 20 in this fic. This happens somewhere two years after the doctor (meaning Black Jack) saved her.

(2) I'm not sure if Watari knows Tezuka or not (probably not, different worlds you know). However, I'm certain he does have some contacts in the world of the living.

**Well, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read this fic so far. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: This story might contain spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.7

Tatsumi sighed as he left the room. His perfect plan was ruined. Tsuzuki's vacation wasn't supposed to happen this way.

"_Tsuzuki's vacation was supposed to go perfectly and not cost me a dime more than I gave him for spending money!"_ Tatsumi thought.

After all, the blue eyed shinigami had long ago decided that it would be less expensive to send Tsuzuki on a vacation rather than having him at work. He was just biding his time until the opportunity came up was all. And when the opportunity finally did come up, Tsuzuki came back within three days with a wounded man and a little girl.

"_I should have seen this coming." _Tatsumi thought as he went into the chief's office.

"What is it Tatsumi?" the chief asked as he came in.

"I just wanted you to know that Tsuzuki is back and that it seems as if we'll have guests for the next few days." Tatsumi replied.

"Guests, how?" Konoe asked looking slightly surprised.

Tatsumi quickly responded, "Tsuzuki brought them back with him. It seems as if they were attacked by a demon.

"Very well, I suppose I'll have to go meet these guests." Konoe said, sighing.

"One problem, sir, one of them is unconscious." Tatsumi mentioned.

"Ok, I'll meet them once they are awake." The chief said and then went back to work.

His job done, Tatsumi quickly retreated out of the room and back to his day's work.

Black Jack had finally awoken.

"_Where am I?"_ he thought, _"This definitely isn't my clinic or a hospital nearby."_

"Chenchei, you're awake!" Upon hearing Pinoko speak, he turned his head towards her. Black Jack breathed a sigh of relief, at least she was safe.

However, upon seeing her, he had to do a double take. She was wearing a new kimono that Black Jack specifically remembered her not having before. And so he questioned her, "Pinoko-"

Well, at least he _tried_ to question her. However, before he was able to get two words out of his mouth, Pinoko had taken the opportunity to stuff his mouth with cake.

He swallowed (his previous line of thought forgotten for the moment) and told her, "Pinoko, it's not very nice to shove cake into someone's mouth while they're talking."

"Sorry about that, Chenchei. I was just _so_ happy that you had finally awoken that I couldn't resist feeding you cake." At this last part Pinoko smiled.

"It's ok, Pinoko. Just how long was I out anyways?" Black Jack questioned her.

Watari, stepping into the room, answered, "You've been out for the last three days." Seeing Black Jack's wince he added, "You were poisoned by a demon."

"And you would be?" Black Jack questioned.

"Oh, that's Watari. He's been looking after you for the last few days, Chenchei." Pinoko answered.

"Anyways, the chief wanted to talk to you. I'm going to go tell him that you're awake." Watari said as he left.

"Who?" Black Jack asked.

"You'll see." was all that Pinoko would say.

Shortly after that, Watari, Tsuzuki, and two other men entered the room. Black Jack supposed one of them was the chief.

"Ah, you're finally awake. My name is Konoe and I am the chief here. This here is my aid Tatsumi (at this he pointed at the other man). In case you are wondering where you are; this is Meifu." The chief told Black Jack.

"Meifu? The world of the dead?" Black Jack asked, raising an eyebrow in query.

Konoe smiled, everyone always said that, and replied, "Yes, the world of the dead. However, before you ask, no, you are not dead. You'll have to stay until you recover completely though. And you might have to stay even longer than that. After all, you did anger a demon, didn't you? The demon would come after you if you went back to the world of the living. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Meifu."

After explaining the situation to Black Jack, Konoe left the room, leaving Tsuzuki, Watari, Tatsumi, Black Jack, and Pinoko still in there.

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and has enjoyed the story so far. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: Spoilers ahead! **

Well, enjoy!

Ch.8

"How are you feeling?" Watari asked Black Jack.

"Good enough, considering the circumstances. However I don't think I should be up and about yet." Black Jack responded.

"That's normal for people poisoned by demons. Once they receive the antidote, they are usually unconscious for three days, bedridden for two, and are stuck in a wheelchair for four." Watari explained.

Black Jack replied dryly, "Sounds fun, I get to be in a wheelchair again."

"Oh, have you been in a wheelchair for a broken leg?" Watari asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, but that's not what I was talking about." Black Jack replied quietly.

Now Tatsumi was getting into the conversation, "Something worse?" he asked. As he saw the look of pain and grief flash across Black Jack's face, he questioned further. "What was it? You can tell us; it's not like we'll tell anyone in the world of the living." He said softly.

"Much worse," Black Jack responded. "An undetonated bomb exploded in my face and my mother's. Afterwards, my mother was in a coma and shortly died; my father left us; and I was almost dead. The only reason that I survived was because Dr. Homna saved me." By this point in the story Black Jack was almost crying.

Everyone in the room except Pinoko was shocked (Black Jack had already told her this). Pinoko instead of being shocked just went over and hugged him. The rest of them had never guessed that he had such a tragic past.

"Ah, so that's why there were the signs of a major reconstructive surgery on your body. I was wondering about that. It's probably also the reason for that scar on your face, your different colored skins, and your black and white hair." At Black Jack's nod he went on, "Anyways," Watari said, changing the subject, "Is Pinoko really 20? I find it a bit hard to believe."

"Yes, technically she is 20." At this he sighed and glanced at Pinoko before continuing, "However, in my opinion she's about 2." At this last remark Pinoko threw him a glare.

"How is that so?" Watari asked.

"She's a teratoid cyrstoma." Black Jack replied.

At this a look of comprehension dawned on Watari's face. Tatsumi and Tsuzuki however were just plain confused.

Bored about talk of all these scientific matters, Tsuzuki told Black Jack, "I told you I would explain, and so I will now."

"Go on." Black Jack said before nodding.

"Ok. We here are all shinigami or angels of death. In addition to having great regenerative power, we also have something that we can each do. Watari for example is really good at science. However, I would advise you not to eat or drink anything you are given by him." At this Watari shot him a glare. "I can summon twelve different shikigami. You saw me summon Byakko the other day. The others, well, they'll tell you if they want to." Tsuzuki explained.

"You didn't mention what we do." Tatsumi reminded him.

"We work for the Summons Bureau of the Ministry of Hades. Our job is to investigate unnatural occurrences and put a stop to them." Tsuzuki explained.

"Well, it's getting late. You should probably get some dinner and sleep. I'm going to stop by the library. Would you like me to find any books for you Black Jack?" Watari mentioned.

"Sure, can you find any medical books you might have? I need to catch up on my reading." Black Jack responded.

After that Tsuzuki, Tatsumi, and Watari left, leaving Pinoko and Black Jack alone. Black Jack followed Watari's advice and ate the curry Pinoko fed him and then promptly fell asleep.

**Sorry it's not that long. Well, anyways, I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter and the story so far. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.9

Watari came into the hospital room. His charge was still asleep. And next to his charge was Pinoko, her head resting gently on the bed in sleep. It seems as if she had fallen asleep while sitting next to him.

Watari sighed and put the medical books Black Jack had asked for on the table next to his bed. Then Watari quietly walked out, thinking, _"Let them sleep while there is still peace and quiet here. When Tsuzuki comes in, they'll be awoken by his noisiness."_

_..._

Pinoko shortly awoke after that, and looking around, saw the books on the table. Ever so curious, Pinoko decided that she should take a look while her chenchei slept. After all, she was studying to be a doctor herself so as to be able to better help Black Jack.

...

Black Jack awoke to find Pinoko closely studying a medical book. Or so it seemed that way at first. On further inspection, Pinoko was actually shown to be asleep.

Black Jack sighed and reached down to take the open medical book away from the sleeping girl. Looking at the title, he read, _Influential Doctors of the Nineteenth Century_.

"_Now why in the world was she reading that? Oh, it must have been one of the books Watari brought."_ Black Jack thought as he glanced over and saw the stack by his bed.

He then put the book back and looked through the others. The other two titles were, _The Supernatural Encyclopedia of Poisons, Curses, and Creatures _and _How to Cure a Variety of Diseases_. (1)

Black Jack sighed. Only one was a real medical book. The other two were on the history of medicine and on the supernatural; maybe Watari had thought he'd be interested in them.

"_Then again,"_ he thought, _"I should probably look at that book on the supernatural. After all, it did say it talked about poisons. And I was poisoned recently. Maybe I should check up on that."_

And, thinking that, he reached for the book on the table, looked at the table of contents, found the section labeled poisons, and found where it said demons. He looked at it and read:

_Most creatures can't stand demon poison for long without an antidote. Humans are no exception. If they are poisoned and do not take the antidote, they'll die within 24 hours. Even if they do take the antidote, they will be unconscious for 3 days, bedridden for 2, and it is really suggested they use a wheelchair for 4. If they don't use a wheelchair then they are liable to have their legs collapse on them. The ingredients for the antidote are…_

Black Jack stopped reading. He didn't want to know what was in the antidote he had taken. After all, he might barf if he did.

He sighed. Watari was right. He was going to have to be in a wheelchair for four days.

Black Jack then closed the book and put it back. He might as well look at that medical book. Who knows? Maybe he'll learn something he didn't know before. And so Black Jack picked up the third and final book, opened it, and started reading.

...

Tsuzuki had encouraged Hisoka to get to know their guests. And so it was that Hisoka had decided to visit them.

When Hisoka walked in around noon, he found Black Jack reading and Pinoko sitting on his lap. So intent on his reading was Black Jack, Hisoka thought he could walk up and wave a hand in front of his face and he would not notice.

Alas that was not the case. As soon as Hisoka approached him, both Black Jack and Pinoko looked his way. Hisoka introduced himself to them, "Hi, I'm Kurosaki, Hisoka and am Tsuzuki's partner." He extended his hand to Black Jack and they shook in greeting.

"I'm Black Jack and this is Pinoko." Black Jack responded. Hisoka could tell that the man was genuinely interested in what he was saying and hoped to be his friend.

"What were you reading a moment ago?" Hisoka asked. He already knew of course, however, he wanted to know how the man would react.

"I was reading _How to Cure a Variety of Diseases_. It's a book Watari got from the library for me. I had asked him to get me some medical books. It's the only one that actually has to do with medical techniques, unlike those other two." Black Jack answered honestly. At the last part he had been pointing to the other two books.

Hisoka was surprised. _ "The doctor was answering as honestly as he could!"_ he thought. Maybe they could get along after all. He did seem like a decent person to Hisoka right then.

"Anyways, I've been meaning to ask. Why shouldn't we eat or drink anything Watari gives us? Tsuzuki had said that, but had never given an explanation." Black Jack stated.

Hisoka laughed. At their puzzled looks, he explained, "Watari sometimes slips potions and such into the food and drinks. If you want to have something, then you should really make it yourself. You never know what's safe here."

Black Jack smiled and meant it. "Arigatou, Kurosaki-san." He said.

"_Black Jack certainly was nice. However unlike a certain someone, he isn't annoying about it. Hai, I could definitely get along with him."_ Hisoka thought.

And so, "Would you like to go to the library tomorrow with me Black Jack? That way you could find some better books to better occupy your time." Hisoka offered.

"Hai," Black Jack answered, "That would be great."

"Well then, see you tomorrow Black Jack." Hisoka said as he left.

...

"Can I come too Chenchei?" Pinoko asked pleadingly after Hisoka left.

"Sure, if you're quiet." Black Jack responded.

...

(1)I'm not sure if any of those books are real.

**I hope everyone has enjoyed this story so far.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.10

Hisoka, Black Jack, and Pinoko walked into the library. Well, in Black Jack's case he rolled in as he was using a wheelchair.

When they came in, they were greeted by what seemed to be two flying chickens. Black Jack and Pinoko blinked at this and had to take another look. "Hi Hisoka", the one with the blue hat said, "And who are they?" he asked, "Our guests?"

"Hai," Hisoka responded. He turned to Black Jack and Pinoko and said, "These are the Gushoshin twins." He then turned to the twins, "And these two are Black Jack and Pinoko." He told them.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group went into the library. "So what kinds of books are you looking for?" asked the Gushoshin twin with the red hat.

"I'm looking for medical books," Black Jack responded. "I don't know what Kurosaki-san is looking for.

"Currently I think I will look at medical books also." Hisoka replied. "Do you have any suggestions?" he asked Black Jack.

"Sure, let's see which books they have." Black Jack responded.

And with that they were led to the medical section of the library and after each finding a few books to read (even Pinoko) they sat down at the tables and began to read.

Terazuma was going to the archery range when he heard a thud. _"Sounds like someone is practicing," _he thought, _"I wonder who it is though."_

When Terazuma walked in, to his surprise he found the man Tsuzuki had brought here eight days ago. Said man was in a wheelchair and was throwing scalpels at the target. Yes, _scalpels_. He was even managing to hit the bull's eye every single time. Terazuma was just plain amazed at this, yet he wondered why someone would need to throw scalpels so accurately.

"Why are you practicing throwing scalpels?" Terazuma asked Black Jack.

"Self defense," Black Jack replied.

"Aren't you a doctor? What if you kill someone like that?" Terazuma asked, anxious.

"I won't. I'm very careful not to hit a vital point and I will patch them up once they're unconscious. I am a doctor as you said. I can't just kill someone." Black Jack responded.

Terazuma had a new respect for the man. It seemed as if he would stick to his morals as a doctor.

Terazuma reached for his bow and arrows. "Have you ever done archery?" he asked the man. Once Black Jack shook his head, Terazuma declared, "Well, watch and learn!" At this point he was about ready to fire.

Terazuma fired and hit the bull's eye. Black Jack's eyes widened in amazement at the demonstration he was shown. It was only natural of course. It was the first time Black Jack had seen archery.

Black Jack congratulated Terazuma on the bull's eye and said that he didn't know how to do archery.

Terazuma replied to him, "I'll teach you archery if you teach me how to throw scalpels." At Black Jack's nod, he started showing the man how to string the bow and how to hold it.

After Terazuma taught Black Jack the basics of archery, Black Jack in turn taught Terazuma the basics of throwing scalpels (probably about the same as throwing darts I think). Of course, since Black Jack was sitting, he had to tell Terazuma how to throw them standing up since he couldn't.

"Have your feet slightly apart," he said, "Then pull your hand back and throw. At the same time step forward with your opposite foot." He coached. (1)

After an hour of lessons each, they both retired to whatever they were going to do afterward. They decided to keep teaching each other every day when Black Jack was here and they had the time.

(1) I'm not sure if that's actually how you throw a dart or scalpel for that matter.

**I hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.11

Black Jack was waylaid by Watari as he was about to enter his room after his second day of archery practice.

"So, today's your last day in that wheelchair, right?" Watari inquired.

"Yeah, that's right." Black Jack responded.

"Well, after you're better, you'll still probably have to stay here for a number of days. Since that is the case I was wondering if you might be willing to treat any patients we get?" Watari asked, glancing nervously at the man beside him.

"Hai, but on one condition," Black Jack replied, "You need to promise that you will not slip any potions or such in my, Pinoko's, or any of the patients' food or drink. Also, why would you get patients?" he asked.

"It's possible that people may get hurt when we do our cases. It's happened before." Watari stated. "And, hai, I accept your condition. It will be a pleasure to work with you Black Jack-san." Watari replied.

With that they split up and went their separate ways. Black Jack to his room and Watari back to whatever crazy experiment he had going at the moment.

...

Black Jack was going to the library. He had just talked to Tsuzuki and had asked the man what dish he wanted to learn. Tsuzuki wanted to learn how to make a bento box.

Black Jack had then sent the man off to get the ingredients while he read up on how to make it. It wasn't that he never made a bento box; it's just that he hadn't in over two years.

Once Black Jack was in the library he asked for a book on fish anatomy and a book on how to make a bento box. The book on fish anatomy was so he would be able to cut up the salmon correctly and the book on how to make a bento box was to remind him of any details he might have forgotten.

Once he had the books he sat down and read until Tsuzuki came back.

...

Tatsumi was surprised. _"How did Tsuzuki get anyone to agree to teach him how to cook? They all know he's horrible at it."_ He thought.

Anyways, Tatsumi was going to watch this. After all, he didn't want Tsuzuki to burn down the whole kitchen.

When Tatsumi got there, it seems others had the same thoughts as well. Besides him, there were five other people who were not participating in the lesson as well. They were Hisoka, Terazuma, Wakaba, Watari, and Pinoko.

Off to the side were Tsuzuki and his teacher Black Jack. They were talking about what they would do. It seems that from what he heard that Tsuzuki would not be doing any actual cooking today. When they heard that, it seems as if everyone had breathed a sigh of relief.

Before Black Jack started, Tatsumi had to ask him a question. "Why are you teaching Tsuzuki how to make a bento box?" he asked.

Black Jack shortly replied before beginning, "I promised him I would teach him to make something because he stinks at cooking. When Pinoko tried something he made, she got food poisoning. As a doctor, I cannot let him give everyone food poisoning." Black Jack stated as if it was a fact.

"_Ah, that makes sense. So that's how he got someone to teach him something."_ Tatsumi thought satisfied, as he grabbed a chair and sat down to watch.

Black Jack's cooking, at least in Tatsumi's opinion, was almost perfect. He did everything correctly, that's for sure; however, Tatsumi noticed that he boiled the rice just a little longer than he needed to. How he treated the fish though, was spectacular. He was able to cut it up in a matter of a couple minutes. It was almost as if he was dissecting it. Besides that, everything was as to be expected from a good chef.

When he was done, he had everyone test taste it. They all managed to agree that it was pretty good. It looked like to Tatsumi that he had managed to make friends of everyone there basically (that or they were treating him with respect as Tatsumi had told them to).

After the taste testing, Black Jack turned to Tsuzuki and asked him if he thought he could do the same.

Tsuzuki replied that he probably could because Black Jack had carefully gone over the details.

After that, Tatsumi left to resume his work.

**I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter and has enjoyed the story so far. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.12

The demon that had attacked Tsuzuki and Black Jack walked into a room full of demons. When he came in, another, bigger, more menacing demon came over to him.

"Did you complete your job?" asked the other demon, growling.

"Not yet, boss." The demon said respectively to the other.

"Why not, minion?" the boss asked the other angrily.

"I almost had him. I could clearly tell he was not ready for me to attack. However, when I was about to kill him, an annoying human interfered. I quickly disabled the human, but the shinigami had already recovered by the time I was done with him. The shinigami summoned a shikigami and chased me out." The minion told his boss regretfully.

"I should destroy you for not completing your mission." The menacing demon stated.

"Wait!" cried the minion. "I have set up a plan to kill that shinigami. In fact, it should almost be done." The minion said hysterically.

"I'll give you one last chance." His boss replied. "But if you fail-"

"I know, I know. You'll kill me, right?" the minion asked fearlessly.

The boss looked annoyed at that, but let it pass anyways. (1)

...

Tatsumi had called Tsuzuki and Hisoka to his office for a meeting.

"_Is it a case? Or are we in trouble for something?"_ Tsuzuki wondered as he and Hisoka walked down the hall to Tatsumi's office.

After they knocked on the door, Tatsumi called them in. He had two folders in his hand; one for each partner.

"Is it a case?" Hisoka asked curiously.

"Hai, it is." Tatsumi responded. He then went on to explain it as he handed them the folders. "A girl was attacked by a demon in your sector." When he saw Tsuzuki's look of worry, he chuckled and said, "Don't worry. Your friend Black Jack and Watari are taking care of her as we speak."

"Demons don't usually attack humans…" Tsuzuki mused. "Not unless they want something."

"That's right." Tatsumi replied. "The only reason the girl is still alive is that I ran into her while she was being attacked and chased off the demon. Who knows how many other victims there have been so far. That's why I would like you two to put a stop to this."

"We understand." Hisoka said. "We'll be on our way immediately."

And with that Tsuzuki and Hisoka left on their mission.

...

Black Jack was looking for Pinoko. They had an operation to do.

When he finally spotted her, she was talking to two young women. "Pinoko!" he called, "Prepare for an operation."

Pinoko turned to look at him and then came bounding over, saying, "Hai, hai, Chenchei."

The ladies looked on with curiosity at this new development with their friend. One turned to the other and said, "Yuma, we should go see what they're doing."

Yuma agreed, replying, "Yeah, we should, Saya."

With that the two young ladies followed Pinoko and Black Jack to the hospital room.

When they all got there, Watari was just finishing administrating the antidote to the girl. He turned to them and said, "There you are Black Jack-san. Are you ready to operate?" Watari then noticed that Yuma and Saya had also entered the room and addressed them, "Yuma, Saya, if you don't like to see blood then I suggest you leave the room. Black Jack-san is about to operate."

The two girls decided to stay. After all, if Pinoko was staying and even _helping_, the least they could do was stay.

After Black Jack and Pinoko got on their respective outfits (surgeon's outfit for Black Jack, nurses outfit for Pinoko) they started.

The first thing Black Jack did was announce what they were doing. "We are going to repair the patient's arm. Nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and bones have been cut. To repair her arm, we are going to need to sew up the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles and set the bones. If we don't, her arm might be paralyzed for the rest of her life."

Right after he said that, Pinoko promptly applied local anesthesia to the patient's arm and then disinfected it.

Once she was done, Black Jack started operating. He first sewed up the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles and then set the bones. After that, he carefully sutured the opening on her arm closed.

"We're done." He stated after he finished suturing her arm.

Pinoko and Black Jack left the room to get washed up; leaving Watari, Saya, and Yuma staring after them in amazement.

(1) These demons have the same reason for wanting to kill Tsuzuki as the others.

**I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter. I also hope that the story has been overall quite enjoyable so far and will continue to be so. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.13

Tsuzuki and Hisoka left Tatsumi's office… and then came back. They had forgotten to ask him where the girl was attacked. After doing so, they then left for real; to the world of the living, to the place of the crime.

Once they got there (which was after Hisoka pulled Tsuzuki out of a cake shop), they immediately started looking around for clues. There was nothing to indicate _why _the demon had attacked that girl. They even learned nothing from any witnesses there might have been. Everyone had said they had seen nothing out of the norm. Well, except for one thing, a girl who always came to this diner hadn't gone today.

They asked who the girl was and started to investigate her. They needed to get a picture of her so they could see if she was the girl Tatsumi had brought in. And if she was, they needed to inform her family that she was fine and would soon recover.

Tsuzuki and Hisoka had managed to finish investigating within a few hours. When they were about to leave the world of the living, something happened. Tsuzuki was hit by a dart.

They quickly looked around for the perpetrator. Finding no one, Tsuzuki took the dart out and pocketed it. They then left for Meifu.

...

It was the day after the investigation and Tsuzuki and Hisoka were doing paperwork.

Yes, Tsuzuki was actually doing paperwork. (Tatsumi had offered Tsuzuki a donut if he was able to finish his work)

After finishing about two sheets after about half an hour, Tsuzuki got a paper cut while reaching for the third. He waited for it to heal, however, it didn't. Something was wrong with him.

"Hisoka, I think something's wrong. I got a paper cut and it didn't heal." Tsuzuki voiced worriedly.

"That's weird. Come on, let's go see Watari." Hisoka replied as he stood up.

The two partners then went to Watari's lab. When they got there, they found him proudly showing off his latest invention to Black Jack and Pinoko.

When they heard their footsteps, the three turned and greeted them.

After the greetings were done, Hisoka told Watari, "Watari, there's something wrong with Tsuzuki. He got a paper cut and it still hasn't healed yet."

Watari and Black Jack looked shocked at this. Black Jack then questioned, "Tsuzuki, didn't you say that shinigami have amazing regenerative powers? If so, why hasn't your finger healed yet?"

"That's the problem, I don't know." Tsuzuki replied.

Watari then asked, "Did anything happen recently?"

"Come to think of it…" Hisoka said, "Tsuzuki did get hit by a dart as we were about to return yesterday."

"Do you still have the dart?" Black Jack asked, "It might have been poisoned. If so, at least we'll know what's causing this."

Tsuzuki nodded. "Hai, I have it right here." He said as he pulled it out of his coat pocket.

Watari and Black Jack shared a look. "We need to have this analyzed immediately." Watari said. He then turned to Black Jack. "Can you take a blood sample from Tsuzuki while I analyze this, Black Jack-san?" He asked inquiringly.

Black Jack nodded. "I'll do it right away." He replied as he pulled away Tsuzuki (after the other man had given Watari the dart) and left the room.

Watari looked over to Hisoka, "Don't worry Hisoka. We'll figure this out. Until then you and Tsuzuki should not leave. I expect you to tell Tatsumi about this."

"Hai," Hisoka responded, "After I tell Tatsumi, I'll come back to help you two. He is my partner after all." Hisoka called out over his shoulder as he left the room.

**And the mischievous plot of the demon has begun… What will happen to Tsuzuki? Well, anyways, I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter and the story so far. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.14

By the time Hisoka had come back, Black Jack and Watari were both done with their separate jobs and were comparing results.

"Come look at this Bon." Watari called out as he saw the younger boy enter the room.

Hisoka came over to see. There was a chart in front of each of them of their data. Black Jack's chart showed the components of Tsuzuki's blood, while Watari's chart showed what was on the dart tip.

They had both circled what was abnormal with their data. So, basically, there was one thing circled on each; the poison.

"Well, our hypothesis was correct. Tsuzuki was poisoned." Black Jack told Hisoka.

"What does the poison do?" Hisoka asked nervously, turning to look at him.

Black Jack answered him, "We don't know yet; or at least not exactly. The only thing we know about it is that it can slow down the regenerative powers of shinigami, so it'd probably kill a human if they were poisoned."

Watari looked at him comfortingly, "Bon, don't worry, we'll figure this out soon and then fix it."

Hisoka looked around questioningly, "By the way, where is Tsuzuki?" the green eyed boy asked.

"He said he was feeling sleepy afterwards so he went to a bed in the hospital room." Black Jack answered shortly.

"Anyways, what can I do to help?" Hisoka inquired.

"You and everyone else who wants to help can by investigating who did this to Tsuzuki. If we find the culprit, we may be able to question him or her as to what the poison does. If we learn that, it would be a lot easier to treat him." Watari replied. "But remember, be careful."

Nodding, Hisoka walked out of the room to find volunteers.

He thought as he walked, _"Tatsumi told me that he would call a meeting. That would be the perfect place to find volunteers."_

And so Hisoka walked into the meeting and asked to talk. Knowing that the kid had gone to ask Watari and Black Jack about how they could help, Tatsumi let him.

"My fellow shinigami," he said, eyeing them as he went, "Our friend and my partner Tsuzuki has been poisoned. I went to ask Watari and Black Jack how we could help. They replied that it would be helpful to know what the poison does; it is one they don't recognize. And so it is our job to figure out who did this and question them as to what the poison does. Any volunteers?" he asked at the end.

A number of the assembled people raised their hands. Among them were Tatsumi, Saya, Yuma, Chief Konoe, Wakaba, Terazuma (after Wakaba elbowed him in the ribs), the Gushoshin twins, and a few other people whom Hisoka did not recognize.

Hisoka then spoke again, "Arigatou to all of you who volunteered. We greatly appreciate your help." With that he bowed and took a seat.

Tatsumi then rose and took control of the meeting. "If you did not volunteer, then you can now leave." After he said that, around two thirds of the people got up then left. (1) "And if you did volunteer, follow me."

Tatsumi led them all to the lab. At Watari's and Black Jack's questioning looks, he explained, "Watari, Black Jack, we are your volunteer group. We will be setting up a headquarters here so we can share what happens with you easily."

Watari started clearing a table. "Arigatou to all those assembled here for volunteering. Here, you can use this table to put any reports you have down on." Watari stated graciously.

"Tell everyone I'm going to stay here to look through reports." Tatsumi announced to the crowd as he left to get his supplies for his work (after all, he still had his regular work to do).

And with that, those in the lab drifted out, back to their own work.

...

(1)The meeting Tatsumi called was available for all departments to attend. About half the people came.

**I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter and has enjoyed the story so far. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch.15

Tatsumi returned to the room with his papers in hand. On returning, he looked around and saw only Watari, Black Jack, Terazuma, Hisoka, and Pinoko still there (Pinoko was sitting on Black Jack's lap).

Tatsumi went to sit down and then noticed that Black Jack had a cup of coffee. _"Oh no," _he thought _"Did Watari make that?"_

Tatsumi seriously did not want Watari experimenting on anyone else; especially if that person was human and actually _helping_ them.

Terazuma had apparently thought the same thing. He walked over to the man and inquired about the coffee. "By any chance, did Watari make that?" he asked cautiously.

"No." Black Jack replied with a smile, "Pinoko was kind enough to make it for me." At this he looked down at the sleeping girl. Black Jack continued, "Anyways, it would not have mattered even if Watari _did_ make this coffee. He has agreed not to slip any potions into my, Pinoko's, or any patients' we have food or drink in exchange for my help. So you see it's quite safe for me to drink it." He elaborated.

The two men (Tatsumi and Terazuma) stared at him in awe. They had never even _thought_ of bargaining with Watari so he wouldn't slip them potions.

"_Maybe I could get Watari to stop experimenting on everyone if I raised his lab budget…"_ Tatsumi thought as he returned his attention back to his work.

...

"It's lunch time!" Tsuzuki boisterously yelled as he walked into the lab, Pinoko following him.

Watari, Tatsumi, and Hisoka resignedly got up. "Well, it is already 1:00, I'm surprised you could wait this long." Tatsumi said as he glanced down at his watch with a sigh.

"I couldn't. I just got up." Tsuzuki sheepishly admitted as his stomach let out a growl.

"I'll make something!" Pinoko offered excitedly. After noticing that Black Jack wasn't coming, she asked, "Chenchei, aren't you coming?"

At this everyone looked at Black Jack.

Black Jack, to say the least, was unaware of all this. He was sleeping, with his head pillowed on his arms. Scattered medical papers and books were all over his desk and so were empty cups of coffee.

Tatsumi soon broke the silence. "It seems as if our friend is asleep. Did he stay up all night or something?" he questioned.

Watari answered him, "Now that you mention it, he probably did. He was still here when I retired last night and was here this morning when I came in."

"Well, the least we could do is to put him in bed. He _has_ been working hard to help us." Hisoka mentioned.

Everyone looked a bit surprised at this. Hisoka did not usually suggest that they do anything out of their way.

"You're right." Tsuzuki responded. "We should at least do that." He said as he carefully lifted the man into his arms.

After leaving Black Jack in his bed, the five decided to leave him a note in case he woke up while they were eating.

Then they quietly left the room and went to the kitchen. Pinoko then proceeded to send them out as she readied to cook.

Pinoko cooked curry for them. When she was done, she brought it out to them.

Everyone, after tasting the curry, agreed that it was wonderful. They promptly thanked Pinoko for the wonderful meal.

About this time, Black Jack came in. He yawned and then sat down. Pinoko was more than happy to serve him a bowl of curry. He nodded at Pinoko (to thank her) and then set at the curry with the amount of hunger Tsuzuki would usually display. (1)

When he was finished, he looked up and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't have dinner last night or breakfast this morning; I was too busy cross-referencing medical books on poisons to try to find what had poisoned Tsuzuki."

"Still," Watari said firmly, "You shouldn't have stayed up all night or skipped dinner or breakfast. You are still recovering from the poison, Black Jack." Watari reprimanded him.

"Sorry," was all that Black Jack would say. He then turned to Pinoko, "Arigatou for the meal, Pinoko. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to return to work."

"Aye, aye, Chenchei." She responded, "I'll come with you."

And with that the two left, leaving the four others to finish lunch and then clean up all the dishes.

...

(1) Tsuzuki has a really big appetite.

**Well, I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter and has enjoyed the story so far. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers and violence.**

Well, enjoy!

Ch. 16

Black Jack sighed. Another new day was upon them, and they still weren't any closer to finding how to treat Tsuzuki or in finding the culprits.

Pinoko looked at him questioningly and asked him what was wrong.

"It's just that we haven't gotten any closer to helping Tsuzuki. Pinoko, why don't you go and ask the Gushoshin twins if we overlooked anything. You should also ask if there have been cases like this in the past." Black Jack replied.

One, no two hours passed. Still Pinoko did not come back. Black Jack was just beginning to get worried when….

Pinoko came stumbling in, a book bigger than she was tall in her hands. The Gushoshin twins accompanied her, making sure the little girl didn't fall.

Black Jack's eyes widened at this scene, and in less than five seconds, he was there beside her, helping her. "Pinoko," he inquired as he moved to support her, "Why do you have such a humungous book?"

One of the twins replied for her. "These are the records of the dead shinigami. With these we should be able to tell if there have been any cases similar to Tsuzuki's."

Black Jack thought, '_Well, I did ask her to find out if there had been any cases like that._'

As they set the book down on the table, Tatsumi and Watari came over to investigate. At their shared glances, Tatsumi asked, "Isn't that the records of past shinigami? Don't you need clearance to look through that?"

The twins nodded. "Hai, we do need clearance. Fortunately it was granted when we explained the situation." The younger twin replied.

It was a group effort to open the heavy book without damaging it. Once inside they looked at the table of contents. There was actually a listing called _Died of Unnatural Deaths_! They flipped to the start of the vague section. After looking for a while, they were able to find a subtitle named _Poisoned People_. This section was exactly what they needed. It told of the symptoms of the poison and of what kind it was.

...

Meanwhile…. At a different place entirely….

"Mwahahahahahahahaha, mwahahahahaahahaha." The evil demon laughed out loud. Too loud perhaps.

"Keep it down in there minion! Or else I _will _kill you, even if your plan does succeed."

"Hai Your Evilness. Will do." The small (evil?) demon responded respectively (and a little fearfully).

After taking his tone down a notch, the minion continued in a most unfrightening voice. "My evil plan is almost finished! It only takes a couple weeks for a shinigami to die from my poison! They will never find the cure in time! Because there is none! Mwahahahahaha." After a few minutes the demon starts breaking into evil laughter again, however stops, coughing for lack of oxygen.

"I said stop!" the minion's boss declared angrily and sent an energy ball right through the wall, into the minion's rump, scorching him.

"Ouchie! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!" The whimpering demon exclaimed, all the while hopping between his two feet.

"I do hope you just learned a lesson." The elder and more powerful demon admonished. The minion's boss then started cackling, much more evilly than the younger demon could _ever_ dream of doing.

...

Thanks for reading this far in. If you have any comments or reviews, please post.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei or Black Jack. Yami no Matsuei is owned by Yoko Matsushita. Black Jack is owned by Tezuka Ozamu. I only own the plot and my OCs.**

**Warning: There might be spoilers and violence.**

Sorry for the wait!

Well, enjoy!

Ch.17

As it turned out, they were able to find a poison that fit the symptoms Tsuzuki had. This particular poison was none other than concentrated demon poison.

"So, it was just concentrated demon poison?" Tatsumi asks, "Does that explain why it has an effect on Tsuzuki?" He inquired, looking at Watari.

"Hai. Normally demon poison doesn't affect us shinigami. This is because of our fast regeneration; our bodies are able to fight off the poison easily, but just barely. Now, take the poison and double its concentration, and it becomes twice as hard to fight off, too hard for us shinigami. Based on this and what is in the book, the poison will slowly progress through his body as it overcomes his healing abilities." Watari explained, gesturing to make sure he was understood.

Black Jack, who had been reading on, spoke up, "It says here that there is no known cure. Perhaps we could research and make one?"

"We'll have to." Watari replied, "However, what works best to make an antidote for poison? We can take a sample of the poison and try to derive an antidote from it." He suggested.

"We could do that," Black Jack replied, "Except for the fact that we don't have very much of the poison, only what was on the dart tip. What about a concentrated form of the antidote you made for demon poison? Would that work? Or we could just fight poison with poison as they say, but that's a bit risky."

"Well, it might work; I would have to test it out first though. As for not having enough poison, we could just wait until they find the culprit and make them give us the poison. And as for fighting poison with poison, it's an idea, but it's as risky as you say." Watari replied.

"Anyways," Tatsumi cut in, "I'm sure that we'll find something that works—"

"Tatsumi! Coming to report! Sir!" Tatsumi looked in the direction of the door, seeing to his dismay, one of their volunteers. But not just _any _volunteer, no, it had to be _him_. Who he was, well, he was said to be the second coming of Tsuzuki. Unlike Tsuzuki however, this man didn't have a love for _sweets_, no, he had a love for _annoying people_. Why he was said to be the second coming, well, he has on the same annoying smile, and seems happy all the time. Besides that, they were about as alike as a dog and a cat. Not to mention that Tamaki _looked_ like a cat. Except without the slitted eyes of course. He had black hair, that in itself was normal enough, however, he also happened to have a pair of glowing orange eyes (not literally, they just seem that way) and he painted whiskers on his face (weird, huh?).

"Hai, Tamaki-kun?" Tatsumi replied, plastering on a fake smile. After all, the kid always and I mean _always_ annoyed him when he had the chance. Thankfully though, Tatsumi had managed to stay away from him for the past few months. Of course, he was still angry at him after the _last prank_. The feathers hadn't come out of his hair for hours. And so he couldn't keep his eyebrow from twitching slightly as he said that.

"I'll tell you the report in a moment," Tamaki said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "But first," he continued on, knowing how he irked the shinigami with his delay, "You'll have to guess. What's my favorite color? Just kidding, I know you know that. Black and orange as always—"

"Tamaki," Tatsumi interrupted, sighing, "Please, and I mean _please_, start your report. Otherwise…" he trailed off, letting his shadow grow as the vein on his temple began to throb and then growled, "Get out."

Tamaki then began hysterically backing away, which would have been quite funny if not for the situation he was in. It seems he had overestimated Tatsumi's level of tolerance for his attempts to annoy. He then sighed and said hurriedly, "Okay, okay, I'll report. We have been able to successfully locate the people who did this to Tsuzuki. Well, demons actually… but we did find them is what matters."

Tatsumi smiled, this time for real, "I expect you to procure a sample of the poison and take care of the demons. Take Hisoka and Terazuma with you. However, do not make a ruckus. You can try blending in until they find you out. And last of all, be careful. We do not need anyone else to be poisoned."

**I hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far :)**


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